8 Things You Never Knew about Contraception

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there are so many facts about contraceptives that women should know before making a consideration for one or another.

Influencing Your Choice in Partners

If you are using hormonal birth control, the man or woman you choose to date could be partly due to this contraceptive choice. When you are using these medications, you are more likely to find someone with similar MHC genes attractive and the opposite is true when you are not using birth control.

Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Birth control pills inhibit ovulation to prevent pregnancy and this same mechanism works to reduce ovarian cancer risk. Research concludes that the risk of this cancer is lower, the less a woman ovulates. Estimates show that if women continue to regularly use this method of contraception, this will result in over 30,000 fewer cases of ovarian cancer.

Impact on S*ex Drive

Women often hear that taking the pill can decrease s*ex drive, which is not always the case, but it can happen. In fact, some women report that their s*ex drive increases once they start using oral contraceptives. For some women, there is no change at all.

Lower Cervical Cancer Risk

Women who take oral contraceptives for a very long period may have a slightly higher risk of this cancer, but the opposite is true for women who use an IUD. Once an IUD is in place, it may help to actually combat HPV infections and this reduces the risk of HPV-related cervical cancers.

IUDs Are Most Effective

If you want a birth control option that reduces your risk of pregnancy the most, talk to your doctor about an IUD. These tiny devices work to prevent pregnancy in two ways: they kill sperm so it cannot reach an egg and it irritates the uterine lining, making it 99.9 percent effective.

B Vitamin Depletion

When you are using birth control pills, keep an eye on your B vitamin levels and talk to your doctor about measuring them with a blood test. The pill may reduce B vitamin levels in your body so you may need to adjust your diet or take a B complex supplement to ensure you are getting enough.

Limit Grapefruit

You do not have to ban all grapefruit, but you need to limit it significantly because this citrus fruit can make your birth control less effective. This is because grapefruits reduce CYP3A levels and this works to utilize the estrogen present in the different hormonal birth control options.

No Real Period

You do experience bleeding when you take hormonal birth control, but it is not an actual menstrual period because birth control stops menstruation to prevent pregnancy. The bleeding you experience is withdrawal bleeding and results from hormone level changes.

They Can Help Women in their 40s

Women in their 40s who don’t smoke or have high blood pressure can take contraception to combat perimenopausal symptoms. Contraception methods like the pill will help ail irregular bleeding and reduce hot flashes.

The Pill Doesn’t Make You Gain Weight

Although many people believe the Pill makes you gain weight, that is not the case. Several experiments have proven that there is no relationship between contraceptives like the Pill and weight gain.